"Well, well, well, if it isn't the consequences of your actions."
Not pictured is all the rehearsal time Koramin put into getting this moment right, from the lighting to the specific chair he's sitting in to even the way he's holding his rapier and the color of his magic. When it comes to making himself look important, he will do everything in his power to do so.
(Also not pictured is his inner thought gremlin pumping his fist all proud of himself. It has come to my attention that my precious precious bratty boy is both the YA protagonist of his group and is a terrible tsundere. I am here to tell you that yes, he is absolutely a tsun and he becomes a flustered mess when he is with that special someone.)
5e Bel’veth, the Empress of the Void build (League of Legends)
(Artwork by Terence “Terrylefruit” Cantal. Made for Riot Games.)
God fucking dammit Riot I’m supposed to be demisexual can you stop making big hot women who I want to step on me? Like it was bad enough with Illaoi.
But after such a long content drought it’s amazing to see a proper monster champion instead of another Yuumi or Lillia. I mean sure Bel’veth can apparently dash 10+ times in a fight and attack 20 times in one second but at this point I’m just used to Riot’s 200 years of game design. If we ignore Bel’veth’s gameplay her design is amazing and it’s really cool that we have a true big bad of the void instead of random monsters in the form of Cho’gaths and Vel’kozes and Kog’maws.
I hope Riot does something interesting with Bel’veth as a character but until then we’ve got an interesting new champion to make in D&D!
GOALS
I will pick this world clean - Step aside Sett and Vi, there’s a new 「Killer Queen」 on the Rift.
Let my first steps mark the end of this world - So I don’t know much about Bel’veth, but I saw this clip on YouTube of her dashing 12 times in one teamfight.
Such bravery will live on in me - Fish are cute, so gathering a lot of void fishies to fight for us would be nice.
RACE
A humanoid with manta ray features? What a weird and highly specific request. Anyways play a Simic Hybrid to be a humanoid with manta ray features. I’m going to assume that you’re allowed to use Tasha’s Custom Lineage rules because if your DM is allowing you to play Bel’veth they should allow Tasha’s Custom Lineage rules, so increase your Dexterity by 1 and Intelligence by 2. You can also choose any Language of your choice along with Common (because RAW you can only choose either Elvish or Vedalken, and lol who tf speaks Vedalken?)
Along with Darkvision (which I merely mention because you don’t get much else, and because it makes sense for Bel’veth) you get Animal Enhancements: one right away and one at 5th level, which we’ll talk about when we get there. For your level 1 enhancement Manta Glide will give you manta ray wings... to glide... In a very generalized nutshell Manta Glide lets you slow your fall and also glide around while slowly floating to the earth, both of which are nice if you’re caught falling from a high place. It will also become useful as you get up to high places intentionally to use the speed of your glide to chase people.
ABILITY SCORES
15; DEXTERITY - You need to both move and strike swiftly to survive both above and below the lavender sea.
14; INTELLIGENCE - Bel’veth is made of the thoughts of all the Void has consumed.
13; CONSTITUTION - More like “you need health if you’re going to be a melee bruiser.”
12; WISDOM - Regardless of if you’re predator or prey you need survival instinct in the void.
10; CHARISMA - You have a pretty face but it’s all superficial.
8; STRENGTH - Mostly because we need every other stat more.
BACKGROUND
There is no background for a void monster, but Faceless lets you fool people with your kind visage. You get proficiency with Deception and Intimidation as well as Disguise Kits and a language of your choice.
Your background feature Dual Personalities lets you assume the persona of real woman before exciting League content creators with your true form. The two forms are indistinguishable from each-other unless you prove them wrong, so use your humanoid persona to lure in prey into the lavender sea.
(Artwork by @Rayn87250715 on Twitter.)
THE BUILD
LEVEL 1 - WIZARD 1
Starting off as a Wizard with proficiency in both Arcana and History, partially because knowledge of the world will help you rule it and partially because that’s kinda what Wizards do. But other than Arcane Recovery (letting you recover a number of spell slots equal to half your level rounded up read the ability’s description) the main appeal of Wizard is (of course) Spellcasting. You get three cantrips from the Wizard list and six level 1 spells:
CANTRIPS
Booming Blade will be your main source of early damage; a good way to add some “true damage” to your strikes (unless your foes resist Thunder damage for some reason) while also giving them a choice to either stand still or take extra damage.
Bel’veth doesn’t have a ranged attack, but Mind Sliver is quite in-flavor to give you ranged backup options.
Message will help you keep to team chat, or mess with your foes and your prophets with voices they can’t recognize coming from nowhere.
SPELLS
Take your standard defensive options of Mage Armor and Shield to keep yourself protected and... ya know: alive?
Disguise Self can help pass yourself off as somewhat human. We’ll see how long that guise lasts however.
Find Familiar can get you the first of many void remora, if you let it assume the form of a flying familiar like an owl and reflavor it.
Sleep can be a good way to get rid of weaker foes while you deal with more powerful threats, or turn them into easy targets.
Detect Magic is just generally good to locate danger and other things that are useful to both a Wizard and a predator of the void.
LEVEL 2 - WIZARD 2
Second level Wizards get to choose their Arcane Tradition and I’m sure you probably assumed that we’ll be going for Bladesinging to actually have some melee capabilities along with our summoning. That means you get Training in War and Song for proficiency with the Performance skill, light armor and one one-handed melee weapon of your choice. (I’d suggest grabbing a Rapier because it’s the best option unless you plan to dual-wield, which you can’t do without either a Ruby of the Warmage or the Warcaster Feat, which we won’t be getting for awhile.)
You can also assume a true form of sorts in a Bladesong. As a Bonus Action you can activate your Bladesong which lasts as long as you don’t equip a shield or armor that isn’t light. During this time your AC increases by an amount equal to your Intelligence modifier, your speed increases by 10 feet, you get advantage on Acrobatics checks (which has its uses considering you’re not proficient with Acrobatics), and your Concentration checks are boosted by an amount equal to your Intelligence modifier. These are all fairly big buffs as you can tell but they only last for 1 minute, and you only get a number of them per day equal to your Proficiency bonus, to which they reset on a Long Rest.
You can also learn two more spells and Identify is just generally useful to know if the object you’re looking at is a powerful artifact worth keeping, and Earth Tremor for a knockup (knockdown?) on foes within melee range.
LEVEL 3 - WIZARD 3
3rd level Wizards can learn 2nd level spells like Misty Step (for Flash) and Shadow Blade, which will be the first damage augmenting spell we take. Shadow Blade creates a simple, one-handed melee weapon which deals 2d8 Psychic damage. You can throw it and have it return to your hand with a Bonus Action, and also get advantage while in the dark. What’s good about Shadow Blade is that later down the line you can upcast it to make it deal more damage; the usefulness of this will fall off if you get a magic weapon but as it is currently it’s probably your best source of increased DPS, especially if you’re in the dark. Unless your opponent is immune to Psychic damage of course in which case you’re obviously better off using conventional weapons.
LEVEL 4 - WIZARD 4
4th level Wizards get their first Ability Score Improvement and most of your abilities really don’t require Intelligence currently, so more Dexterity would make you hit harder with more precision and also give you more AC.
You can also learn two more spells like Mirror Image for more defense, and Flock of Familiars to summon a swarm of void remora to help you or your allies. But there’s honestly a lot of really good spells at 2nd level which I’m not picking up right now. So see if you can learn from the world and spend some gold to copy more spells into your spellbook. Until then take the Mage Hand cantrip for some weird grabby hand walls to grab Kai’sa... unless Kai’sa is in your party. Then don’t grab Kai’sa.
(Artwork by @SleinYesWowNC on Twitter.)
LEVEL 5 - WIZARD 5
5th level Wizards can learn 3rd level spells like Ashardalon’s Stride (which if you remember from my recent Hecarim build is a very good spell to move around the battlefield while dealing damage to everyone) and Hypnotic Pattern if you need to keep your foes in place.
You also get a new Animal Enhancement from being a Simic Hybrid, and Carapace is the best option by far. It’s a free +1 to your AC as long as you aren’t wearing Heavy Armor, and as a squishy Wizard you could use all the AC you can get.
LEVEL 6 - WIZARD 6
6th level Bladesingers get an Extra Attack, but this Extra Attack is special because you can cast a cantrip instead of one of your two attacks! You know what’s both a cantrip and an attack? Booming Blade! The blade cantrips are how your DPS will remain competitive with other dedicated martials in the late game, although even early on its still good extra damage for existing.
But spells also help augment your damage, such as Fly to... well, fly, and a Tidal Wave from the lavender sea to knock your foes prone.
LEVEL 7 - WIZARD 7
7th level Wizard; 4th level spells. Conjure Minor Elementals will let you summon a swarm of much more deadly void remora as long as you’re fine with your “void” creatures being... well, elementals. If you instead want to do it yourself then Evard’s Black Tentacles will let you summon more grabby hands to hold Kai’sa in place. Again: maybe don’t hold Kai’sa in place.
LEVEL 8 - WIZARD 8
8th level Wizards get another Ability Score Improvement and by this point you have enough spells that actually require saving throws for you to consider increasing your Intelligence, I feel.
This does mean more spells prepared such as Dimension Door to quickly swim through the Lavender Sea, and Greater Invisibility. Can Bel’veth turn invisible in-game? No. Does it fit her? I’d argue yes.
(Artwork made for Riot Games.)
LEVEL 9 - WIZARD 9
9th level Wizards can learn 5th level spells, which includes the best mass summoning spell in the game: a conjuration spell. Animate Objects lets you make some objects move around to strike your foes but you can easily reflavor them as void remora, and can easily carry around small or tiny objects to activate this spell on your person. (For tiny objects your coins will do just fine. Ask your DM what they’d consider “small” though.)
Other than that if you want to strike all your nearby foes in a dashing display (as in you dash around a lot technically) Steel Wind Strike is more-or-less made for a Bladesinger flavor-wise, and is a very good recreation of your E.
LEVEL 10 - WIZARD 10
10th level Bladesingers can use their fins for defense. Song of Defense will let you use a spell slot as a reaction to reduce the damage you took by 5 times the level of the spell slot used. I mean, Shield is probably a better choice most of the time but if you’re targeted by a powerful blast you can use this feature to reduce some of that damage.
You can also learn two more 5th level spells, like Rary's Telepathic Bond to keep in contact with your subjects from afar, and Synaptic Static for a powerful psionic blast to disorient your foes. And you can learn another cantrip: if you need more defense Blade Ward is actually not a bad choice for a Bladesinger specifically, since you only lose one attack by doing so instead of both of them.
LEVEL 11 - WIZARD 11
You know the drill by now: level 11 means 6th level spells. Thing is that there isn’t much I want at 6th level, so I’m taking Mental Prison and Disintegrate. Less because “they make sense for Bel’veth” and more because “they’re cool.”
I mean sure you could take Tasha’s Otherworldly Guise or Tenser’s Transformation, but those spells aren’t too great for you and we can get better options later down the line.
LEVEL 12 - WIZARD 12
12th level Wizards get another Ability Score Improvement and by this point you are probably being hit hard enough to lose your Concentration, so Resilient Constitution will give you 14 Constitution (for a bit more HP) as well as proficiency in Constitution saving throws, which notably means Concentration checks for you.
You can also learn two more 6th level spells but again: not much I want from 6th level. So I’m going to quickly hop back to 2nd level for both Tasha's Mind Whip and Vortex Warp. The former because it fits very well, and the latter because it fits decently well but is also just a really good spell.
(Artwork by @Gambler_carrd on Twitter. There isn’t much fanart of this character yet so I have to take the meme art.)
LEVEL 13 - WIZARD 13
The reason we didn’t take Tenser’s Transformation or Tasha’s Otherworldly Guise is because Draconic Transformation is a far better true form for Bel’veth. Along with a 60 foot flying speed and 30 foot blindsight you get a 60 foot cone attack every turn as bonus action! Is that a little excessive? Yeah probably, but it’s a great way to empower yourself with flight and deadly attacks befitting a monster of the void!
Other than that? If you want a private room in the void then Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion will give you a castle of your own. Complete with grabby hand walls! Again: don’t grab Kai’sa.
LEVEL 14 - WIZARD 14
14th level Bladesingers get Song of Victory to add their Intelligence modifier to their damage while in Bladesong, for a nice bit of true damage to your strikes.
If you want to go back to the Void then Plane Shift will let you do so, but do try not to ruin your DM’s campaign by sending everyone to the void. And other than that? I dunno Counterspell is a good spell to have. Not much else I need at 7th level.
LEVEL 15 - WIZARD 15
Hey look 8th level spells! If you don’t want to die Clone lets you respawn and that’s about it. Costly, but this way the empress can never die. Additionally Antipathy / Sympathy will let you sway the masses towards your cause. Or against it.
LEVEL 16 - WIZARD 16
16th level Wizards get another Ability Score Increase and I mean, you’re still a Wizard so more Intelligence is probably your best bet. That means you have the best spellcasting you can get along with great AC and damage output during your Bladesong.
Additionally you can learn two more spells like Feeblemind for more voidy mind manipulation, and Maze if you want to send your foes straight down into the Lavender Sea. But do remember that your higher level spell slots are limited so even though I’m taking a lot of high level spells you’re more than welcome to take stuff from the lower levels instead.
(Artwork by @heyitsandre_4 on Twitter.)
LEVEL 17 - WIZARD 17
17th level Wizards gain the all-mighty power of 9th level spells like Psychic Scream and Power Word Kill, the two most powerful psychic void spells you can grab!
And alright yeah: you may as well grab Wish either this level or next level. By this point you have more than enough spells as a Wizard and I’m not going to tell you what else to take.
LEVEL 18 - WIZARD 18
18th level Wizards can choose a 1st and 2nd level spell to have full Spell Mastery over, allowing you to cast them at will! And let’s be real: the two best options by far are Shield for defense and Misty Step for non-stop dashes. By this point you have a pretty much permanent +5 AC (on top of your 21 AC while in Bladesong) and can teleport everywhere all at once, which is great!
You can also learn more spells but again by total level 18 you can make some of your own choices.
LEVEL 19 - WIZARD 19
19th level Wizards get one last Ability Score Improvement and while I’m simply going to say you should max out your Dexterity I’m going to make mention of some feats you probably should’ve grabbed at some point if you had better starting stats: Mobile would’ve let you hit-and-run effectively instead of being a frontliner with Wizard HP, and Tough would’ve let you boost that Wizard HP to a respectable amount.
Yup that’s all I’ve really got to say, because I’m still not going to tell you what spells to grab.
LEVEL 20 - WIZARD 20
Our final level is the 20th level of Wizard for two Signature Spells, which are 3rd level spells you can cast once per day without spending a spell slot. Not overly impressive, but I’d take Fly and Ashardalon’s Stride to assume both your true forms once per day and use the utility those spells provide for some of your less important fights.
Or I mean, you could just cast Wish.
Why no punching? - Put very bluntly: 5e doesn’t make fist-fighting easy. I could’ve given Bel’veth Monk levels but ultimately it would lessen the amount of spells you could cast just to do what you're already more than capable of with two shortswords. Flavor is free and it’s way easier to say “I’m stabbing them with my fins” then take Monk levels to do what you can do with swords but worse with more ability score investment.
FINAL BUILD
PROS
All will drown beneath my lavender sea! - So you’re a level 20 Wizard; that’s good. You have 9th level spells at your disposal and no matter how you spin it casting Wish is useful. All your spells will help you be a formidable foe in combat.
Hope is the armor of fools - You’re also a very good bladeswoman with 19 AC that increases to 24 while in Bladesong and 29 with a casting of Shield. Blade Ward will keep you safe even if you do get hit, and you have more than enough damage to slice through your foes.
I was born knowing every joke in existence - I mean, good intelligence is never a bad thing for skill checks? But honestly your main assets are your magic damage and raw martial skill.
CONS
All things end - Your healthbar could be better. D6 hit die means about 120 health at max level, making it incredibly easy to put you in Power Word Kill range.
We envy the gift of existence - On the subject of stats: while I unfortunately had to dedicate all the ASIs in this build to Dexterity and Wisdom there’s a lot of feats I would’ve liked to take instead. Like I said before both Mobile and Tough would really help you pretend to be a martial character while being a Wizard.
I must know what it means to exist - Ultimately you are still a Wizard pretending to be a proper melee character. You’d probably be more useful casting actual spells, but Wizard was the easiest way to get your void remora to actually be practical in combat.
But the empress being vulnerable means nothing when she has thousands of void remora at her side to remake Runeterra in her image. Fight with your children to prove to the world that there’s no chance for them to stop you, especially with allies at your side backed by your army of summons. And remember: if Kai’sa’s in your party, don’t grab Kai’sa.
"I'd ask if you've ever been to Ravnica, but we both know you haven't."
Meet the newest addition to my little DND family, Koramin Hes! He's a bit of a brat and a lot of a know it all, but what else can you expect from a fifteen year old who is learning about the arcane arts? With a voracious appetite for knowledge, you'll often find him in a book shop or your local library.
He's my first attempt at playing a pure caster class like wizard but you can't take the swordsman out of me like that. So he's a bladesinger!
Edit because I didn't gush enough about @ladybugkisses art, I love the gradient to his boots, the little purple outline around the gold bits, the sash full of stars and moons skdijgje I love everything about his design! Don't think I didn't see your reblog, missy, your son is gonna go be a brat in the feywild and he's gonna do some magic!
this is my terrible horrible bladesinger wizard looking far cooler than he has any right to. His name is Nollis and I think he should be hit with a fantasy car
